15th August, 2022
Sen. Iyorchia Ayu, National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday said he has no plan to resign his position as was allegedly being demanded by some members of the party led by Governor Nyesom Wike.
Ayu said this in a statement by Simon Imobo-Tswana, his Special Adviser on Media and Communication on Monday.
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers and his group had demanded the resignation of Ayu as part of the conditions to support the presidential candidate of his party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
Members of the Wike group had allegedly said PDP cannot have its presidential candidate and the national chairman from the Northern part of the country.
Ayu is from Benue State in North central Nigeria while Atiku is from Adamawa State in North east part of the country.
An unnamed member of the Wike camp had reportedly said David Mark, a former president of the senate is holding resignation letter of Ayu in a report on a national newspaper on Monday.
The PDP member had consequently asked the former senate president to release the letter.
But Ayu denied this in the statement released on Monday as he insisted that he will run out his four years tenure.
“We restate, therefore, that the PDP National Chairman has not resigned and has no plan of resigning. For clarity and emphasis, he was elected for a tenure of four years.
“Sections 45 and 47 of the PDP Constitution are clear on the removal and/or resignation of the National Chairman.
“Those who don’t know this should get copies of the party’s Constitution for more information on the matter.
“PDP members and the general public are advised to ignore any story of such a phantom resignation,” he said.
According to him, the stories purported that Ayu had resigned and that his resignation letter is with a former Senate President, David Mark is false and members of the public should disregard it.
Imobo-Tswam said that with all emphasis, the story was, in its entirety, false, baseless, reckless, inaccurate and a complete work of fiction.
“If there is such a resignation, it exists only in the imagination of those who have made themselves available for hatchet jobs,” he said.
Imobo-Tswam said that if Ayu had resigned, he would give his resignation letter to the Deputy Chairman (North) and not Mark, adding Section 45 (I and ii) of the party’s Constitution was clear on that.
“So, where does Mark comes in here, being that he is not even a member of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC)
“It appears that those who have been procured to blackmail the national chairman out of office are not even aware of what the party’s Constitution says about the matter.
“We are shocked that such reckless, vicious, mischievous and fabricated falsehood can find prime space in the mainstream media.
“But, even more shocking is the fact that otherwise respected media houses have made themselves easy platforms for unscrupulous people to peddle falsehood and run smear campaigns,” he alleged.
Imobo-Tswam emphasised that the national chairman, “is on a crucial assignment to lead the PDP on a historic rescue mission comes February 2023.
“And, he will not be deterred or distracted by media terrorism or political blackmail.(NAN)